Kremlin urges Zelensky to negotiate ‘now,’ while Ukraine demands ‘real and dignified peace’

The Kremlin on Friday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, to begin negotiations "now" or face losing more territory, following the leak of an alleged U.S. peace plan that would include significant concessions to Russia, AFP reported.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, "the effective work of the Russian armed forces should convince Zelensky and his regime that it is better to negotiate and do so now, better to do so now than later." Peskov added that "his room for maneuver is shrinking as he loses territory to the Russian armed forces’ offensive," and noted, per the report, that he had not officially received the U.S. plan.

Ukraine warned that it will not accept any plan that crosses its "red lines." Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security Council and one of the chief negotiators, stated on Facebook: "There can be no decisions outside the framework of our sovereignty, the security of our people, or our red lines — now or ever."

Likewise, Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Ukraine’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N., stated on Thursday at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council: "Our red lines are clear and unbreakable."

The "truly vital European, Ukrainian interests"

Zelensky said that this Friday he would have a call with his main allies to discuss the United States' plan to end the war with Russia, senior government officials in Kiev and London confirmed to AFP.

A few hours later, French President Emmanuel Macron and the heads of the German and British governments, Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer, joined the call with the Ukrainian leader and according to reports, emphasized that the Ukrainian military must remain capable of defending the country's sovereignty.

In the telephone meeting, the four leaders reaffirmed, according to the German government, the goal to "safeguard the truly vital European, Ukrainian interests."

Trump's Russia-Ukraine peace plan and his demands.

The 28-point peace plan, released by Axios, The Financial Times and The New York Times, and reviewed by the Associated Press, would include an agreement to stop NATO expansion and the use of $100 billion in frozen Russian assets for reconstruction in Ukraine.

However, the proposal has been criticized for being too favorable to Russia, as it demands territorial concessions from Ukraine, including the Donbas region.

The draft, prepared by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, ensures that Ukraine would not join NATO, recognizes Russian as an official national language, accepts the Russian branch of the Orthodox Church, reduces the Ukrainian military by half, limits the possession of heavy weapons and prohibits the presence of foreign troops on the territory, among other issues, The Financial Times reported.

The plan also stipulates that Russia make certain concessions, including a promise not to attack Ukraine again and give up $100 billion in frozen assets for reconstruction in its neighboring country, according to the AP.